Finding Joy In Positive Stress

At first glance, the term ‘positive stress’ appears to be contradictory. How can stress be positive? However, the fact is that stress is a naturally occurring part of life and can lead to positive outcomes. According to Wikipedia, positive stress – also known as eustress – is the positive cognitive response to stress that is healthy or gives one a feeling of fulfilment or other positive feelings.  

How can you tell the difference between positive and negative stress? 

Both good and bad stress results in your body releasing hormones, like adrenaline, that trigger common physical symptoms of stress, such as a racing heart or sweaty palms. What distinguishes good stress from negative stress is how a person reacts or feels about the experience. The best way to view experiencing positive stress is that it stems from something positive and wonderful that is happening in your life. These are events that, despite being daunting in the short term, can bring great happiness and joy.  

Here are 9 common situations that can trigger positive stress:   

1. Starting a new job: While the start of a new job is generally an exciting time, the lead-up and first days in a new job can cause a mix of emotions, including excitement and anxiety.  
2. Taking on a new project: Projects often have tight deadlines, and the pressure to meet them can be immense. A new project can be incredibly positive yet bring about performance anxiety in the face of tight deadlines and high expectations.  
3. Receiving a promotion: Being promoted can be seen as recognition of competence and hard work. It can bring newfound job satisfaction but can also cause anxiety when mastering new responsibilities and complex tasks. If the stress of taking on a more senior position is prolonged, it ceases to be positive stress.  
4. Traveling: Travel can be daunting when one faces uncharted destinations and anticipating what may go wrong – events like getting lost, losing your phone, or missing a flight. Yet, travelling on holiday has positive implications and can be good for your mental health, reducing stress and depression. 
5. Buying a home: A recent UK study found that moving house is the most stressful thing a person can do, even more so than having a child or going through divorce. At the same time, being successful in purchasing your ideal home is an incredibly positive experience.  
6. Getting married: Getting married can be stressful – it signals a major life change. Planning a wedding involves a lot of time, energy, and money – and the pressure to consider everyone’s expectations can add to the stress.  
7. Having a baby: Despite the wonder of bringing a child into the world, first-time mothers can be very anxious about giving birth and then caring for their newborn child. Parents fielding the increased demands of caring for a new baby often feel overtired and stressed.  
8. Learning a new hobby: Learning a new hobby can be a rewarding and enjoyable way to spend your leisure time. Yet, mastering a new hobby is stressful because you are out of your comfort zone, and it takes time and energy to learn new skills.  
9. Challenging your body: Planning to conquer a physical challenge can cause positive stress, knowing that you will go through physical discomfort in the process of reaching your goal. It takes mental fortitude to push through the discomfort and reach successive milestones until you cross the finish line.  

Benefits of positive stress 

There is great merit in choosing to put yourself into stressful situations knowing that the outcome is well worth it. It can stimulate your cognitive ability; help you build confidence and trigger creativity.  

Here are 7 more benefits brough about by positive stress:  

1. Greater motivation: Positive stress is short-term and serves to inspire and motivate us. It focuses our energy and enhances performance.  
2. Personal growth: Positive stress can motivate us to tackle challenges head on and perform well to achieve our goals. In this way it can help us learn more about ourselves and expand our capabilities.  
3. Emotional well-being: Positive stress can help you think rationally and maintain emotional balance. In this way positive stress can lead to feelings of inspiration and motivation. Plus, during periods of eustress, the body releases endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals that can ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.  
4. Physical well-being: Eustress can increase focus and performance. For example, an athlete with a manageable amount of stress may gain physical benefits from extra energy and oxygen.  
5. Concentration: Low-level stressors can increase the production of neurotrophins, which strengthen connections between brain neurons. In this way positive stress can help you achieve a flow state, where you are so focused on a task that you lose track of time.  
6. Improved immunity: When your body responds to stress in the short-term, it produces extra interleukins, which are a group of proteins that act as chemical signals between white blood cells and other cells in the body to regulate immune responses. 
7. Resilience: Eustress can help us see challenges as learning experiences, rather than overwhelming problems. Learning to deal with stressful situations can make future ones easier to manage.  

Transform short-term stress into positive energy 

Changing our relationship with stress involves recognising it and learning to use it to our advantage. By embracing stress and consciously shifting our mindset from anxiety to excitement, we can turn stress into a powerful motivator. This will decrease feelings of fear and anxiety. Positive self-talk helps. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m so anxious about handing in this proposal,” try saying, “I’ve done my research and spent quality time compiling my recommendations. The team are going to appreciate my input.” So, by identifying and harnessing stress – and reframing anxiety as excitement – we can transform stress from restricting us to being our friend. 

Over to you for sharing your comments and experiences.